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Solano vying for backup catching position

9/4/13: Jhonatan Solano fields a pitch that bounces away from him, then dives back to the plate to tag out Chase Utley and preserve the lead

By Bill Ladson
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MLB.com |

VIERA, Fla. -- Jhonatan Solano is one of seven catchers trying out to be Wilson Ramos' understudy. Solano knows what he has to do to make the team. Besides calling a good game behind the plate, he needs to be more consistent in the batter's box.

Last year was not a good one for Solano offensively. While playing for Triple-A Syracuse, Solano hit .214 without hitting for power. Solano played well defensively after he was promoted to the big club, but he didn't do much with the bat, going 7-for-48 (.146). Solano plans to change his mental approach to the game.

"I didn't have a lot of at-bats," Solano said. "To be honest, I put a lot of pressure on myself. I would play [once a week] or once every 10 days. When I played, I tried to do too much. That was the problem last year. This year… I'm going to enjoy the game. That's it."